News

Save The Basin Campaign Congratulates Save Kapiti On Decision To Appeal

Posted on by tjonescan

The Save the Basin Campaign has congratulated the Save Kapiti group on its decision to appeal against the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Board of Inquiry into the proposed Kapiti Expressway. Save the Basin Co-Convenor Tim Jones said “We admire and respect the way Save Kapiti has coped with everything the NZTA and the Government have thrown at them. The NZTA have tried buying opposition off, they’ve tried bullying, and they’ve tried to bleed Save Kapiti dry financially through an EPA Board process which is heavily weighted in the applicant’s favour. And none of it has worked.”

“We salute Save Kapiti’s resilience and determination,” Tim Jones continued, “and we wish them all the best for their appeal.”

You can read the Save Kapiti press statement announcing the appeal on Wellington Scoop: http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=55014, and find out more information on the Save Kapiti website.

What A Courier Thinks About The Basin Reserve

Posted on by tjonescan

Someone who works as a courier got in touch recently to let us know his thoughts about NZTA’s proposed Basin Reserve flyover. We think these thoughts are worth sharing with you. NZTA, are you paying attention?

“Driving around Wellington and using the Basin reserve roundabout is a regular feature of my day. I have a car that ‘knows its own way to the airport’ as my wife works/flies out of Wellington airport with her employment (Air NZ) whilst my son instructs flying at the Wellington Aero club. Added to the frequency of driving to/from these two locations from Central Wellington is my courier work in and around the town. Yes, it is a town and sorry for those whose city status beliefs I may have offended.

My driving whilst on duty requires me to negotiate the Mt Victoria Tunnel to access Miramar/Hataitai/Airport and also to access Adelaide Street/Newtown and the delights of Island Bay. I do this at all hours of the day and evening in addition to my husbandly duties in taking said spouse and/or son to their work destinations,  Pac n’ Save in Kilburnie is also patronised by me/us in a private capacity which involves the Basin and tunnel.

The main point here is that the traffic flow around the Basin is easy and ‘businesslike’ with a sensible phasing of traffic lights. Very rarely indeed does traffic back up into the tunnel as you exit en route to the Basin. Proceeding in any combination of approaches/exits does not cause any issue, motorists use the two/three lanes affording approaches to each roundabout intersection with a high level of responsibility. Red light infractions are rare in my observation. Simply put there is no need to do this [build a flyover] as the light phasing is reasonable. The recent re-routing of the approach to the Taranaki Street intersection via top of Tory Street has not impacted the flow despite the new traffic lights.

In short, we have planners seeking to despoil the vista/amenity of Kent Terrace and a very ‘workable’ roundabout and traffic system (you don’t hear many people cursing the Basin route or seeking alternatives via Oriental Bay etc) to install a multi-million dollar concrete monstrosity. If the council want to serve the people of Wellington, they should create infrastructure and buildings that will serve us as far as our grand-childrens’ generation and maybe beyond.”

A Great Meeting – And Some Great Videos!

Posted on by tjonescan

Our Save the Basin public meeting went very well this afternoon. Despite weather that was a touch on the damp side, over 70 people joined us at the Film Archive to watch videos, hear speakers, buy Save the Basin T-shirts, talk, and offer lots of support and many great ideas to the campaign.

As we’ve said before, the NZTA is, sadly, the last refuge of outdated 1960s transport thinking: the belief that motorways and flyovers are the way to build a modern transport system has gone the way of walk shorts and the 3 o’clock tea trolley elsewhere in the world, but it’s still alive and well at NZTA HQ and in the Beehive.

The three videos we watched from Streetfilms.org, a US organisation that makes short videos about ways to make transport and urban centres better, made this point very, very clear. We recommend that you watch them and share them:

Check out the whole “Moving Beyond the Automobile” series here: http://www.streetfilms.org/moving-beyond-the-automobile/

 

Campaign Resources Now Online

Posted on by tjonescan

If you need information about the proposed Basin Reserve flyover, its implications, and the case against it, please check out this list of campaign resources, which will grow over time.

Facts About The Proposed Flyover (PDF)

Basin Reserve Heritage Backgrounder (PDF)

Basin Flyover Design Backgrounder (PDF)

Health Issues Relevant to the Proposed Basin Reserve Flyover: Information for the Basin Reserve Schools, by Dr Marie O’Sullivan (PDF).
Note: 4000 students attend school in the area around the Basin Reserve. This backgrounder highlights issues of concern to schools near the Basin, but also provides useful information to anyone concerned about the health effects of a Basin Reserve flyover.

These add to our existing resources, including our page on alternatives to a Basin Reserve flyover and our campaign video.

It takes money to create and distribute these resources, so please donate online or by mail.

Why The Delay, NZTA?

Posted on by tjonescan

In the leadup to our public meeting on Saturday 20 April, a very interesting story has appeared today in Wellington Scoop asking questions about the delay in NZTA’s expected application to lodge its resource consent application for its proposed Basin Reserve flyover:

What’s the reason for the delay?

Wellington Scoop suggests that the reason for the delay may be a long list of requirements that such a concrete monstrosity could not possible meet. Lindsay Shelton, Editor of Wellington Scoop, is one of the speakers at our public meeting, and I’ll be keen to hear more about his thinking on this.

We don’t know how long this delay may continue: NZTA may lodge its application tomorrow, or they may take months. But let’s make one thing very clear: the Save the Basin Campaign is very much in favour of these delays. Long may they continue!

In fact, if NZTA delays long enough, maybe they will eventually come to the realisation that the entire misguided, unnecessary and just plain ugly Basin flyover project should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

How We Plan To Save The Basin: Saturday 20 April, 4.30pm, The Film Archive

Posted on by tjonescan

How do we plan to save the Basin Reserve from the Government and the NZTA’s flyover plans? And what can our supporters do to help? That’s the focus of our “Rally to Save the Basin”, which is being held at The Film Archive, cnr Taranaki and Ghuznee Streets, from 4.30-6.30pm on Saturday 20 April – that’s this coming Saturday, folks!

We’ve got videos. We’ve got Save the Basin T-shirts. We’ve got raffles with some great prizes. And we’ve got a lineup of speakers who are going to tell you how we plan to get this done, and how you can help us do it. Speakers include:

  • Lindsay Shelton, editor of Wellington.Scoop and co-founder of Waterfront Watch.
  • Mary Varnham, publisher at Awa Press and founder of the “Chaffers Park Make it Happen” campaign.
  • Joanna Newman, Save the Basin Campaign spokesperson and Mt Victoria Historical Society Chair, with the wider historical perspective.
  • Tim Jones, co-Convenor of the Save the Basin Campaign, on the current state of play on the flyover campaign. Who stands where? What happens next? What are the key things the campaign needs to achieve?
  • Murray Parker, active Save the Basin Campaign member, on how supporters can get actively involved in the campaign and what help we need.

So if you want to know where the campaign stands, what happens next, and how you can help, this is the place to be.

Please invite your friends, join the event and invite your friends if you’re on Facebook, and come along!

Rally To Save The Basin: 20 April, 4.30pm, The Film Archive

Posted on by tjonescan

Show your support for the iconic Basin Reserve and tell the politicians to “bowl the flyover”. Join us for speakers, films and support for better transport, better urban design and a better Basin neighbourhood. Find out where the campaign to Save the Basin is at and what you can do to help.

Where: The Film Archive, corner Taranaki and Ghuznee Streets

When: Saturday 20 April, 4.30-6.30pm

What: Save The Basin Campaign rally and public meeting with short films, speakers, T-shirts for sale and lots of other goodies.

Speakers will include Mary Varnham and Lindsay Shelton. More details to follow.

You can join the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/529946067057428/

new_flyover_image

Save the Basin Media Release: Failure Of Leadership Over Flyover Decision

Posted on by tjonescan

“A failure of leadership has resulted in a bad decision on the flyover,” said Save the Basin campaign spokesperson Joanna Newman today.

“The city needed a clear decision from councillors as to whether they support the flyover or not.  Instead, councillors narrowly voted to effectively say nothing on the subject.

“We’re disappointed that the Council has made this decision,” said Ms. Newman.  “The proposed flyover would be an ugly, unnecessary and ineffective blot on our city and on the beautiful Basin Reserve.

“Councillors should have stood by their previous decision to prefer a tunnel to a flyover, and we appreciate the work of the councillors who continue to support this stance.

“We are concerned that pressure from NZTA had a significant impact on the vote.  A government department should not be exerting this kind of influence on democratically elected officials,” said Ms. Newman.

Ms. Newman said that the Save the Basin Campaign had noticed a considerable increase in public support over the past few weeks. “In the period leading up to the recent England-New Zealand test at the Basin, we have been getting a lot of new people offering support and help. Cricket fans, sport journalists in both New Zealand and the UK, local residents, and Wellingtonians who want a modern, liveable city, not a 1960s concrete jungle designed for the needs of cars and trucks rather than people, have all been telling us that a Basin flyover must not go ahead.”

“There are a number of viable alternatives to the flyover on the table and it is important that these are considered when a hearing takes place on the proposal.  The Council’s decision to concentrate only on mitigation is particularly disappointing,” said Ms. Newman.

It is expected that the New Zealand Transport Agency will soon initiate a process leading to the Basin flyover proposal going before an EPA Board of Inquiry or Environment Court hearing.

“Save the Basin is concerned that politically appointed judges and hearing commissioners may rubber stamp this proposal.  The campaign will continue to vigorously oppose the flyover,” said Ms. Newman.

Note: Mayor Wade-Brown and Councillors Justin Lester, Paul Eagle, Iona Pannett, Stephanie Cook, Helene Ritchie and Bryan Pepperell voted to oppose the flyover.

Councillors Andy Foster, John Morrison, Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Ngaire Best, Jo Coughlan, Simon Marsh and Leonie Gill voted against the motion. 

Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon was absent for some of the vote. 

Email These Councillors Between Now And Wednesday

Posted on by tjonescan

In December, by a margin of 8-7, Wellington City Councillors voted to oppose a Basin Reserve flyover and investigate alternatives. On Thursday the 21st, the Council votes again on its flyover stance, and we want those eight Councillors to stand strong and continue to oppose a Basin Reserve flyover – starting with Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Transport Portfolio Leader Andy Foster.

Between now and Wednesday, it’s time to remind these eight Councillors of their previous anti-flyover stance, tell them again why a Basin Reserve Flyover would be such a bad idea, and urge them to continue their anti-flyover stance in Thursday’s vote.

Otherwise, we risk the Council effectively siding with NZTA in future consent hearings. That’s exactly what Kapiti Coast District Council did in the Kapiti Expressway hearings, and it proved to be a disastrous mistake for Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan, her fellow Councillors and their community.

1) Who to Contact

Please email these Councillors. If you have time to send individual emails to each Councillor, especially Celia and Andy, that would be great – otherwise, a group email is fine.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown   celia.wade-brown@wcc.govt.nz

Transport Portfolio Leader Andy Foster    Andy.Foster@wcc.govt.nz

Bryan Pepperell    Bryan.Pepperell@wcc.govt.nz

Helene Ritchie   helene.ritchie@wcc.govt.nz

Iona Pannett   iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz

Paul Eagle    Paul.Eagle@wcc.govt.nz

Stephanie Cook    stephanie.cook@wcc.govt.nz

Justin Lester     justin.lester@wcc.govt.nz

2) What to Say

People often get hung up on what to say in such emails. But there’s no need to be hung up: all you need to say is that you oppose a Basin Reserve flyover and that you want the Council to keep opposing it, too, including in hearings on the proposal. The simpler and more straightforward your message is, the better. While remaining polite, you should leave Celia, Andy and their fellow Councillors in no doubt what you mean.

But if you need some arguments, check out the articles below, and then two simple, effective emails to Councillors that their authors have kindly agreed us to post.

3) Articles

Thursday’s flyover vote: how to get the best result for the coolest capital

Facts don’t support Expressway (or Basin flyover)

4) Sample emails to Councillors

From Margaret Tobin:

Dear Celia, etc
I want to make clear to you as a Mt Victoria resident of 54 years my
very strong opposition to the proposed flyover around the Basin
Reserve. It sickens me that as Wellingtonians we have to fight so hard
to be heard about what is important to us regarding the city scape. I
joined Wellington Waterfront Watch who represent the local people
about the preservation of the beautiful features of that valuable
asset, Wellington’s waterfront. And now I have joined Save the Basin
Campaign for exactly the same reason, to protect our assets. In this
case, that oasis between the city and the eastern and southern
suburbs, the Basin Reserve.

It is very wearing to be continually
having to defend the beautiful and priceless features of Wellington
that we hold dear from groups that are only thinking about short-term
gain in the form of dollars. There are other ways to improve the
infrastructure of the city, including sensible roading around the
Basin that does not include a flyover. Personally as far as traffic
build up in the area is concerned those of us who live in Ellice
Street don’t believe a flyover will ease this at all but simply move
the congestion and make it more visible. Please listen to the people
and stick up for the people. A flyover does not fit this area. It’s
for LA.

From Patrick Morgan:

Dear Councillors,

I joined 18,000 cricket fans this weekend at the Basin.  Superb, world-class facility. Like the green belt, it’s an asset we are custodians of for future generations.

I would like my children’s children to have the opportunity to hear the sounds of leather on willow on a summer’s day at the Basin.

Rod Oram makes a good case for smart urban design:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/8430627/Oram-Govt-bulldozing-good-design

There are better solutions for our transport needs.

On the 21st, please say no to the Govt’s misguided plans for the Basin.